This book was used at my wife's high school although she didn't take the course:
- 1. A faith in human intelligence and abilities.
- 2. A commitment to democracy and civil liberties.
- 3. A belief in the importance of, if not the divine origin, of the Ten Commandments and of the ideals of social equity, the community of humankind, and world peace.
- 4. Opposition to all theories of predestination, divine determination, and fatalism.
- 5. Compassionate concern for all human beings."
"These are the beliefs that conservative Christians in the United States fear being taught to their children"
Ed, Welcome back from your several day hiatus! Now, could you kindly address the question I asked regarding textbooks? Please provide bibliographic information on textbooks you have reviewed that indicate that following: that evolution excludes the possibility of God; that teach evolution by constant beratement of religion; that have clear anti-religious statements; that teach evolution by making religious claims. I sure would appreciate this specific information. Thanks, Bro! In God's Peace, RogerEdward Hassertt wrote: ... (snip)I would rather have self examining science taught in the classroom than anything religious, but the way the textbooks are written, with a clear atheistic and anti-Christian bias (at least the ones I have had to examine here in Washington), it is not sufficient to allow the status quo to reign. If a child is taught every day that evolution excludes the possibility of God, and other "religious" statements made in the name of science, we need our children to be skeptical of such things. If evolution were taught without the constant beratement of religion and exaltation of science as the final arbiter of truth, most Christians would have little problem with it. When we here knowledgeable Christians in Science fight to support these textbooks which we know have clear anti religious statements, it tends to make us wonder where their loyalty lies, with Christ, or with science. I know they do not have to be mutually exclusive, and shouldn't be, but the constant circling of the wagons anytime there is criticism of school science textbooks really is disturbing from a pastoral point of view (I was a pastor for several years before attending law school). Why not textbooks that teach evolution without making religious claims?(snip) ... Have you seen biology textbooks (you used the passive voice, so I'm not sure whether you mean the teachers teach it this way or the textbooks teach it that way?) that teach that evolution excludes the possibility of God? If so, I'm certainly against that! Do textbooks (teachers?) teach evolution with a constant beratement of religion? If so, I'm certainly against that! Do textbooks have clear anti-religious statements? If so, I'm certainly against that! Do some textbooks teach evolution by making religious claims? If so, I'm certainly against that. Give examples of such a textbook. If you can't, it would seem you are being a tad hyperbolic. God's Peace, Roger P.S. BTW, I don't strongly one way or the other about the disclaimer stickers. They could lead to a fruitful discussion of the philosophy of science.Edward J. Hassertt Reason By Faith Auburn, Washington http://www.reasonbyfaith.org Christian Legal Discussion: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/advocatusdeus/